Close call for Lady Cougars in 67-58 win over South Suburban

The No. 4 Illinois Central College women’s basketball team bent, but did not break in its 67-58 win at South Suburban on Wednesday.

The win makes it ICC’s ninth consecutive win to extend the streak. The Cougars held an 18-point lead early in the third quarter, let SSC tie the game over a six-minute run, but then made plays down the stretch to secure the win.

ICC had a good offensive flow to start the game as Summer Stoewer nailed a 3-pointer on the opening possession, assisted Abby Coates.

Coates, Kathy Pinnock-Branford and Madison Faulkner all combined for scores to put ICC up 9-2. The Lady Cougars made some poor passes, allowing South Suburban to get some scores but a Jordyn Hare layup near the end of the quarter gave ICC an 18-11 lead.

Stoewer started the second quarter the same way she started the game, connecting on another 3 and Faulkner hit a jumper, assisted by Marquitta Easley, to keep things rolling. The Cougars kept a double digit lead during the quarter as Easley found Henderson and Stoewer on cuts to the hoop and the ICC went up 37-25 at half.

Pinnock-Branford started the half with a rare four-point play as she was fouled on a made 3-pointer on the right wing. Easley followed with a layup to give ICC their biggest lead of the night at 43-25.

After a SSC timeout, they went on a 20-2 run to knot the score at 45-all with two minutes to play.

Following a second time out, the Lady Cougars regrouped as Pinnock-Branford snagged a steal and hit a layup, Emma Henderson found Coates for a basket, and Stoewer fed Moriah Ward for a layup to boost an 8-0 run to finish the quarter and go back up 53-45.

Henderson bagged a 3-pointer and a jumper, assisted by Josi Becker, to give ICC some breathing room at 61-49.

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